Agar and agarose are very common in life, so do you know the similarities and differences between agar and agarose? In this article, you will learn briefly about these two chemicals.
what is agar
Agar is a kind of vegetable glue usually made from seafood such as Eucheuma, Geliflower, Gracilaria, etc. It is a colorless solid with no fixed shape, soluble in hot water. It is widely used in the food industry and is commonly used as a bacterial culture medium.
What is agarose
Agarose is an organic substance, a white or yellow bead-like gel particle or powder, which is a linear polymer—a heterogeneous mixture of many smaller molecules. Agarose is generally heated to above 90°C to dissolve in water, and a good semi-solid gel is formed when the temperature drops to 35-40°C, which is the main feature and basis of its multiple uses. Agarose gel performance is usually expressed by gel strength. The higher the strength, the better the gel performance.
What are the Similarities Between Agar and Agarose?
1. Both agar and agarose are high molecular weight polysaccharides extracted from the cell walls of certain marine red algae.
2. They can be used as curing agents in microbial and molecular biology research.
3. Both solidify at low temperatures but melt at high temperatures.
4. Agar and agarose are necessary for microbial research and bacterial culture.
5. Both are gelatin-like.
What is the Difference Between Agar and Agarose?
Actually the key difference between agar and agarose is that agar is a gel-like substance obtained from red algae whereas agarose is a linear polymer purified from agar or red seaweed.
1. Essentially different
Agar: It is a kind of vegetable glue, which is usually made from marine Eucheuma, Gemweed, Gracilaria, etc. It is a colorless solid with no fixed shape and can be dissolved in hot water.
Agarose: Agarose: It is a linear polymer, and its basic structure is a long chain of 1,3-linked β-D-galactose and 1,4-linked 3,6-inner ether-L-galactose alternately connected. Agar pectin is a heterogeneous mixture of many smaller molecules.
2. Different characteristics
Agarose is generally heated to above 90°C to dissolve in water, and a good semi-solid gel is formed when the temperature drops to 35-40°C, which is the main feature and basis of its multiple uses. Agarose gel performance is usually expressed by gel strength. The higher the strength, the better the gel performance.
Agar is a kind of vegetable glue usually made from marine Eucheuma, Gemweed, Jiangli, etc. It is a colorless solid with no fixed shape and can be dissolved in hot water. It is widely used in the food industry and is commonly used as a bacterial culture medium.
3. The effect is different
Agarose can be used in the food industry to produce: crystal soft candy, shaped soft candy, aquatic products, canned meat, fruit juice drinks, pulp drinks, rice wine drinks, dairy drinks, boutiques, and dairy cakes.
Agar can be used as a thickener, coagulant, suspending agent, emulsifier, preservative, and stabilizer. Widely used in the manufacture of oranges and various beverages, jelly, ice cream, pastry, soft candy, canned food, meat products, eight-treasure porridge, tremella bird’s nest, soup food, cold salad food, etc.
4. Different uses
Agar: It is widely used in the food industry and is commonly used as a bacterial culture medium. It is also used in the chemical industry, medical scientific research, as a culture medium, and ointment.
Agarose: Widely used in food, medicine, chemical industry, textile, national defense, and other fields.
In the end
To sum up, structurally, agar contains two components; namely, agarose and agarose, while agarose contains agarose, which is a type of disaccharide. Therefore, this is the key difference between agar and agarose. Jinbangch has many years of experience in manufacturing agarose and agar if you need it. Contact us now to get a free sample!